“Okay,” Patty said.
Meredith straightened and approached the desk again. She could hold it together for Buster. Her vision was clearer now, clear enough to make out that Patty’s smile had dimmed a little.
Oh, please don’t tell me something happened to Buster.
“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, but it appears he found his forever home on Friday. The computer is showing paperwork in process for his adoption. Perhaps you’d like to take a look around and see if you like another dog? We have more Pomeranians here.”
What the hell? Was the universe trying to tell her that even a dog couldn’t love her? For a few years after her parents’ death and while she’d been recovering from a particularly bad case of mono that had laid her up for almost a whole year, she’d wondered if she was being punished because of her thoughts before the accident. The car had been a mangled twist of metal. Her parents had no chance, but by some miracle, she’d suffered only heavy bruising and a broken leg. She’d vowed she would do good with her second chance, which was why she’d become a teacher and had jumped at the opportunity to help the kids in Guatemala.
“Ma’am, would you like to look at more dogs?”
“Yeah, sure.” Meredith responded vaguely and wandered down the hallway to the area housing all the dogs.
As she walked through row upon row of cages, many cute dogs tried to grab her attention, but her focus was turned inward. After an hour of trailing around with no real purpose, she made her way out of the building, ignoring the excited giggles of children as dogs licked them, and got into her car.
No baby.
No dog.
Why did she bother making plans when they never came to fruition?
A knock on the window startled her and she let out a little scream.
“Meredith, damn, sorry didn’t mean to scare you.”
Linc’s face peered through the glass at her. Without thinking, she pushed her door open, got out and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her body relaxed when his arms slipped around her waist. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you hurting again?”
“No, I’m fine, but Buster’s been adopted.”
Linc’s body went from relaxed to tense in a matter of seconds. It was like hugging a block of wood.
He didn’t. Did he?
No way. Sure, he’d still been standing there when she walked away, but he wouldn’t be so callous and unthinking.
Would he?
She pushed away from him, burying the disappointment of losing Buster. One look into his gray eyes and she had her answer.
She clenched her fists as anger built in her like a freight train. “Oh, my God, you didn’t leave like I did the other day. You stayed and adopted him didn’t you?”
He swallowed and looked away. If she hadn’t known before that he’d done it she certainly did now.
“Why, Linc? Why would you do that when you knew I wanted him too? Was this some kind of sick ‘Me, man, I must have everything’ scenario? I thought you were different.”
Look at what fate was doing to her again, dangling a good guy in front of her only to snatch him away, like teasing a dog with a piece of bacon and then eating it. A guy she’d imagined a future with only the previous evening. Hadn’t she warned herself he could hurt her? How right she’d been.
“I’m sorry, Meredith. I can’t explain it. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
She shoved him hard in his chest and he stumbled backward, almost landing on his ass. She wished he had. He deserved a little pain. “That’s the weakest excuse I’ve ever heard. I know I’m going to have to see you whenever Ethan and Isabella have a get-together, but I’m not going to lose my best friend because of your actions. Don’t even contemplate talking to me when you see me. We’re done, Lincoln Forrest.”
Meredith turned and got back in her car, revving the engine loudly before squealing out of the parking lot.
Yeah, she was done with men.
*
The stench of burning rubber filled the air as Meredith’s car disappeared out of the lot. Linc ran a hand over his head. He should have controlled the compulsion that had driven him back to the shelter on Friday. He should’ve known better.
Hell, he did know better.
He’d seen the look of longing on Meredith’s face when she’d told him she wanted Buster. How could he have been such an asshole to snatch Buster away from her, like their baby had been snatched from them?
He had to fix this and he had to fix it in a way that would make her look at him without hate marring her features.
After spending time with her at Ethan’s wedding, he’d begun to think about exploring the possibility of a relationship with Meredith. A thought that surprised him because long-term was never in his life plan. He had no career prospects. How reliable was he anyway? Not to mention his poor decision-making at the moment. Yeah, he totally wasn’t the greatest catch.
And even with all those reasons pounding his brain, he still wanted to get to know her better.
What he had to do was stop wallowing in his bad mistakes and look to his future. He had options for a job and he would start applying tomorrow. Today, though, he had a problem to fix and he knew just how he was going to fix it.
Inside, the center the place was buzzing with people. Seemed like Sunday was a good day for adoption.
“Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to Dog’s Paradise Rescue Home. I’m Patty. How can I help you?”
Linc recognized the girl from his previous visit. “Hi, Patty. I was here on Friday and set up an adoption process for a dog. I’d like to speak to someone about it if I may.”
“Certainly. You’re not changing your mind, are you?”
“No, I still want to adopt Buster, but instead of for me I want to adopt him for a friend.”
“Buster? The Pomeranian?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
Patty paused with her keystrokes and studied him carefully. “Interesting,” she murmured and went back to what she was doing.
Yep, that was all the confirmation he needed. She had seen Meredith.
“Okay, if you want to wait a couple of minutes, I’ll get Teresa to see you about it.”
“Great. Thanks, Patty.”
A little of the tension drained out of him. By no means was he out of the doghouse with Meredith, but he hoped he was on the way to mending the cracks his selfishness had created.
*
The next afternoon, Linc looked down at the black and brown dog sitting obediently at his feet, his ears twitching back and forth, mouth open in a happy doggie smile. He’d picked up Buster an hour ago and the little dog had been so happy to see him. Linc would’ve enjoyed coming home to his face every day, but what he was about to do was even better.
Once he got himself sorted in his new career, he’d think about getting a dog of his own. Tomorrow, he had an appointment with a recruiter from the San Antonio Police Department. It might not be the military, but he’d still be serving and protecting the community. That was, if they even had an opening for him. He had no idea of the process of getting a job there, but it was a start and he was about to earn more good karma toward that goal.
He raised his fist and knocked on Meredith’s door. “Here we go, buddy. Make sure you look cute, okay?”
The dog cocked his head and continued to smile his big doggy smile. Who could resist that face? Linc was certain Meredith wouldn’t be able to.
“What do you want?” Meredith demanded as she pulled open the door. The second Buster heard Meredith’s voice he pulled on the lead Linc was holding and jumped toward her. “Why’d you bring Buster here?”
Oblivious to the tension, Buster jumped up and down on his hind legs, in front of Meredith. If he didn’t know better, Linc would think Buster preferred Meredith over him. Well, considering he was delivering the dog to his new owner, it was a good thing he was fond of her.
“No, I’m not here to rub it in your face. Can I come in, please, and I’ll explain everything?”
“Fine, come in.”
When he’d dropped her off the other night, he hadn’t gotten a good look at the interior of her place. The foyer was painted in pale cream and a gray rug ran down the length of the small hall. He followed her into the living room, noting the beige leather couch with yellow pillows situated in each corner. A large-screen TV was mounted opposite the couch, above the fireplace.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
While he’d been admiring the room, Meredith had remained in the doorway, holding Buster tightly. The dog had settled down and looked like he’d been put on this earth to sit the crook of her arms.
Yes, he’d made the right decision in giving the dog to Meredith. They were far better suited than him and Buster.
“Sure, a drink would be great, thanks.” He lowered himself onto the couch.
“I’ll be right back.” She placed Buster on the ground and unclipped the lead from the harness Linc had used to transport him in the car. Once she’d removed the harness the dog scampered over to where he sat and jumped up, settling himself next to him, his little snout resting on Linc’s thigh.
“He looks happy with you,” she said smiling softly. “I’ll be right back.”
Linc blew out a breath and relaxed more into the cushions once Meredith left the room. “You like it here, don’t you, Buster? I think you’ll be very happy.”
He reached over to the coffee table situated in the middle of the room and picked up a home improvement magazine. A brochure slipped to the floor. He grabbed it and was going to place it back on the table when he noticed the title—Everything You Need to Know About Sperm Donation.
What the hell?
Meredith was looking at sperm donation? When did she pick this up? Didn’t the doctor say she had to wait a while before she got pregnant again? He’d also told to her follow up with her regular physician. Had she done that today?
A million questions raced through his mind. Questions he was in no position to think or ask. What Meredith did with her life was her business, not his. Yet, he couldn’t stop the little bit of hurt from flaring to life inside him.
He might not have thought about fatherhood before, but after finding out that Meredith had been pregnant with his child, it had been on his mind far more than it should’ve been.
“What are you doing with that?”
He looked up. Meredith stood in front of him, hands on her hips. A slash of red highlighted her cheekbones and it wasn’t embarrassment.
“What’s going on here, Meredith?”
She reached over and snatched the brochure out of his hands. “None of your business. Now, I think you should take your dog and leave.”
Linc stood, dislodging the dog in question from his lap. “He’s not my dog. He’s yours.”
Chapter Eight
Meredith’s heart pounded loudly in her ears. Oh shit, so much for keeping her plans a secret. He wouldn’t say anything, would he? She wanted to run away. As bad as her life had been, she’d never run before and she wasn’t going to start now. She’d straightened her spine, placed the drinks on the table, and faced Linc head on.
Wait a minute, what did he say?
Had she heard him correctly? Did he say Buster was hers? No, that couldn’t be right. None of this made any sense, but she grabbed at the change of subject. Maybe Linc would forget he’d seen the sperm donation brochure.
“What do you mean Buster is mine? Didn’t you adopt him for yourself?”
Linc rubbed a hand over his head before reaching out to lightly touch her fingers. Her skin warmed, reminding her of how good it had been to be held in his arms.
“Let’s sit and talk.”
She sighed. For the last two nights, her dreams had been full of him. Reliving their night in San Diego over and over, even when she was so angry with him, not to mention hurt, for taking the dog she wanted, he’d been there. Dreams filled with laughter, chubby babies, and two dogs—one of them Buster.
She plopped down on the couch, reaching for one of the glasses of sweet tea she’d brought for them and taking a long sip. “Okay, talk.”
Buster trotted over to her and settled on her lap like a cat, nudging her hand with his snout. She sank her fingers into his soft fur and scratched neck. Gosh, he was so darn adorable, but she steeled her heart against falling further for the little creature. Knowing her luck, Linc would see how sweet Buster was and tell her he was joking, that he was taking the dog home with him.
“I need to apologize for what I did. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He reached over and scratched Buster between the ears. “I said at the wedding that I’ve been making a series of bad decisions lately, but that stops now. You deserve to have this little fella. He’s better off with you than me.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. “What did you say?”
“I’ve adopted Buster for you. He’s your dog, not mine.”
Yep, she hadn’t misheard him. Meredith glanced again at the dog still curled beside her, not quite believing she now owned Buster. “What did the center say? Do I need to go and fill out some paperwork or something?”
“Yeah, just to confirm everything. Even though I put all the details in your name, I’m sure they want to hear from you that you’re happy to now own the little man.”
“Okay, I’ll do that tomorrow.” Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked to stop them from overflowing. She reached over to squeeze Linc’s hand. “Thank you for this gift. It’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” Meredith managed a smile.
Growing up, she’d always wanted a pet. After her parents died, she’d gone to live with her mom’s sister, an aunt she’d met only twice in her life. Asking her for a pet was out of the question. Her mother and aunt had never been close, so Meredith had always felt like an interloper. Her aunt’s focus had been on her own two daughters and so Meredith was an afterthought most of the time. When she’d gotten sick, her aunt had locked Meredith away in her room, leaving food and medications outside her door.
When she finally recovered, she’d missed half a year of school and had to repeat her final year. The only good thing had been that she’d turned eighteen and had been able to get access to the life insurance policy her parents had taken out. She’d used a portion of it to rent a one-bedroom place so she could go back to school and finish her senior year. After paying for her college degree, there’d been enough left over to put a down payment on her house, leaving her with a small mortgage she could easily afford on her teaching salary.
At least her parents had had the foresight to look after her should anything happen to them.
“Hey, are you okay?” Linc asked.
Buster licked her hand as if he was letting her know she wasn’t alone anymore.
She took a deep breath. “I am.”
“Good.” He nodded and then she watched as he reached over to the coffee table and picked up the brochure she’d hoped he’d forgotten about. “Tell me about this. What’s going on, Meredith? Why are you looking at sperm donation?”
“A dream,” she whispered and immediately regretted saying it. She grabbed the pamphlet from Linc, heat rushing into her face. Why hadn’t she put the pamphlets in her bedroom? “I don’t think it’s any of your concern. Thank you for the dog, but I think it’s best if you leave now.”
Her emotions were close to the surface again. A combination of her body dealing with the overload of useless pregnancy hormones and the sweetness of Linc’s gesture. One thing was for sure, she was tired of crying at the drop of a hat.
“Fair enough.” He frowned and stood up. “Can I ask you one more question?”
Meredith sighed. “Fine.”
“Di
d you get this brochure before or after our one-night stand?” Suspicion shone in the gray depths of his eyes.
“What the hell? Are you suggesting I set out to get pregnant the night I met you in San Diego?”
He shifted from foot to foot. Good. Her response made him uncomfortable. As it damn well should’ve. While the thought of sperm donation had taken root on her trip, she hadn’t researched and committed to it until she’d craddled Marnie and inhaled her unique baby scent. She left Isabella’s even more confident that having a baby of her own was the right thing to do.
“No, I guess not. But you have to admit that, for me, it looks a little suspicious. I come here and see the brochure, and up until a few days ago, you were pregnant. Any person would wonder about the timing of it all.”
He did have a valid point. The evidence looked damning, but did he have to brush off her pregnancy like that? As if it were an annoying bug that needed to be swatted away. She needed space away from him.
“Look, Linc. That night in San Diego wasn’t planned. I didn’t know who you were, you didn’t know who I was. I’m not the type of person to trap someone. If I’d wanted to get pregnant that night, don’t you think I would’ve told you not to worry about protection?”
He considered that a second. “You’re right. I’m just, I don’t know—the last few days have made me wonder if I’ve fallen down some sort of rabbit hole.”
“You and me both,” she muttered.
A warm body brushed against her leg. Looking down at Buster’s little face, she drew comfort from the complete and utter trust shining in his brown eyes. They might have only been in each other’s company for only a short while, but the dog’s unconditional love was there for her to see.
Linc’s gesture of giving up the animal was sweet and, while his questions were intrusive, she couldn’t hate the guy for asking them.
A flash of movement pulled her attention to the man standing in the room. “I guess I should be going,” he stated, yet he looked reluctant to leave.
“Thank you again for Buster. It was really generous of you to do that.”
“My pleasure. He certainly looks like he was made for you.”
The Matchmaker’s Match Page 7
